Shortly after the 2018 election, Buncombe County election workers were chitchatting over coffee when a voter walked in the office door.
They jumped to greet the stranger almost as if they were celebrating the arrival of an old friend. Their enthusiasm and unintentional coordination caused the visitor to chuckle at the over-the-top service, says Corinne Duncan, the executive director of the county’s elections board.
Four years later, the mood has dampened, she says. The staff’s workload has increased as more voters have challenged the integrity of elections — something that didn’t happen as often back then. The chipper greetings have faded. And, as threats against election workers rise, they now fear who might walk through the door.
When the time came to design a new reception area this year, Duncan said, she received a special request: “My front desk staff asked for bulletproof glass.”
Over the past two years, election officials in North Carolina have faced an onslaught of complaints, records requests, intimidation and aggression from election skeptics, including many peddling disproven election conspiracies.
The activity has stretched already-thin county and state election staffs, taking time away from their efforts to mind the very issues these doubters are raising. In at least one North Carolina county, threats have sucked resources from local law enforcement.
The scenario, which is being played out in counties across the country, has in part contributed to...
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